The Iraq Deal: War Averted, or Just Delayed?; Gulf War Syndrome

''U.S. Seeks Solution for a Byproduct of Uranium'' (news article, Feb. 24) describes the 1.2 billion pounds of depleted uranium waste the Energy Department is trying to safely store or sell, but omits that part of that waste is being sold for use in shells and bullets. When these shells strike steel, the depleted uranium burns and tiny airborne particles of low-level radioactive and poisonous material spread. When inhaled or ingested, these particles lodge inside the body as ''hot spots'' that can weaken the immune system and even cause cancer.

The Pentagon left 300 tons of depleted uranium from shells fired in the 1991 Persian Gulf war. They are a suspected factor in gulf war syndrome and in increased leukemia and congenital deformities among Iraqi children.